Chapter 111 Delicious Hot Pot
Amidst the horrified expressions of the crowd, he pointed again to the bustling crowd on Hefang Street outside the window.
“Fear is the root, meaning that when these people realize what they are eating, fear will be the best nourishment.”
Finally, his gaze fell on the kitchen, his peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly, "As for the separate lamps to feed the evil spirits... I guess one of the separate lamps is hidden here."
The room fell silent instantly upon hearing this.
Ah-Can's slice of beef roll fell back into the oil dish with a thud, and the color drained from his face instantly.
Zhou Wei suddenly stood up. "You mean, this shop is..."
"This is the breeding farm."
Xie Xun finally spoke, his eyes closed, his fingertips gently pressing his temples, as if receiving some message.
That's the image the little paper figure that just slipped out is sending back.
The scene in the kitchen was beyond unsanitary; it was horrifying and bizarre, making his stomach churn and sending a chill down his spine.
In the kitchen, a chubby chef wearing an greasy apron was pulling a large piece of meat out of a freezer that was dripping with red broth.
The flesh was a frighteningly red, as if it had been soaking in blood for three days and three nights. The most eerie thing was the dense lines on the skin, which looked just like the veins on a person's wrist, and were even pulsating.
The cutting board was sticky, covered with something that was hard to tell if it was blood or grease.
The chef tossed the meat up with a splatter.
He picked up a heavy cleaver, the blade of which was chipped.
With a swift stroke, the knife fell with a sickening thud, more like chopping a waterlogged sponge than cutting meat. The cut revealed a dense network of tiny holes, like a honeycomb, from which oozed a yellowish-brown oil.
What's even more disgusting is that the edges of the cut pieces of meat were still twitching slightly, like a slaughtered fish thrashing about on a chopping board.
And all of this originated from the old lantern hanging above the stove.
The lantern's skin was as thin as paper, and you could clearly see the dark blue veins inside pulsating.
While the meat was being chopped, the lantern emitted a green glow, which shone on the meat on the cutting board, making the meat jump even more vigorously, just like live shrimp being thrown into a pot of oil.
Besides the aroma of hot pot broth, there was also a strange, indescribable smell in the air. It was like hospital disinfectant mixed with spoiled lard, and it just kept getting into my nose.
The fat chef remained expressionless and made another cut.
With a cracking sound, it was as if a small bone had been cut, or as if some still-moving tendon had been severed.
"Search?"
Seeing his face gradually turn pale, Fu Qinghuai suddenly reached out and pressed Xie Xun's wrist, "What's wrong?"
"I saw the kitchen through the paper doll, and the meat being cut was moving."
Xie Xun's voice was soft, but his words trembled slightly, "The meat on the cutting board was still twitching after being cut. It wasn't the kind of reflexes you get from a live fish, but it didn't look like beef or pork either..."
Everyone was stunned by these words.
Lin Huairou had just picked up some duck intestines, which fell back into her bowl. "Moving...moving meat? Xie Xun, explain yourself clearly!"
Just then, the proprietress pushed open the door with a smile, carrying a fruit platter.
"What are you guys talking about, bosses? It's so lively!"
As she spoke, she naturally walked to the table. Seeing that the people on the table had hardly touched their chopsticks, a dark look flashed in her eyes, but then she smiled and said, "Why aren't you eating? Our ingredients are all the freshest of the day. It would be a waste if we didn't cook these beef slices quickly."
Just as he bent down, Ah-Can, who was sitting opposite him, gasped sharply, pointed at her calf, and said in a trembling voice, "Boss... there's something moving on your leg!"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at him.
On the slit of the proprietress's cheongsam, something was clearly wriggling under her skin, like a restless mouse lurking beneath.
The proprietress's expression changed, and she abruptly straightened up, tugging at the hem of her cheongsam to cover her calves. Forcing a smile, she said, "Young man, are you seeing things? You probably have a muscle cramp; you've been standing for too long today..."
But as she spoke, even the corners of her mouth twitched unnaturally, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.
Upon seeing this, Fu Qinghuai suddenly smiled, tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, and said meaningfully, "Boss lady, the meat here... it's not all freshly slaughtered, is it?"
"Of course!"
The proprietress's eyes gleamed. "Our meat is the freshest we have. It'll be a waste if you don't eat it soon."
As she spoke, her gaze swept over the plate of bright red meat slices on the table, and her head unconsciously rolled slightly behind her.
Xie Xun noticed out of the corner of his eye that the waiters outside had quietly gathered at the door of the private room.
They maintained their signature smiles, but their eyes were fixed on the boiling hot pot on the table, revealing an almost devout longing.
"Boss lady,"
Zhou Wei suddenly spoke, his voice steady yet carrying an undeniable air of authority, "Your leg... do you want to get it checked out? The cramps are quite severe."
The writhing under the skin of the proprietress's calves did not stop; instead, it became more and more obvious, the intensity of which even caused the silk fabric of her cheongsam to ripple.
More cold sweat seeped from her forehead, and her smile became as stiff as a poorly made mask.
"N-nothing..."
The proprietress's voice was a little strained, and she subconsciously brought her legs together, trying to cover herself with the hem of her cheongsam. "It's an old problem, haha, it'll be fine in a bit. Gentlemen, please enjoy your meal first, the broth won't taste good if it's cooked for too long."
She barely managed to finish speaking, and then, as if afraid of being questioned further, she hurriedly turned to leave.
"Wait, ma'am~"
Fu Qinghuai suddenly called out to her in a lazy voice. Then he picked up a thin slice of bright red beef with his chopsticks and casually dipped it in the boiling pot. The slice of beef instantly curled up and changed color, emitting an enticing aroma.
However, instead of putting it in his mouth, he turned the chopsticks around and handed them to the proprietress, his peach-blossom eyes gleaming with malice.
"The proprietress has worked so hard, she probably hasn't eaten yet. How about trying the hot pot you've been so enthusiastically recommending?"
As Fu Qinghuai finished speaking, he still held his chopsticks steadily, the hot slice of meat almost touching the proprietress's lips.
The color drained from the proprietress's face instantly, and even her lips turned ashen.
She seemed to be frozen in place, her eyes trembling with terror as she stared intently at the piece of meat, as if it were not food but a writhing venomous snake.
"No...no..."
She forced out broken breaths from her throat, desperately shrinking back, her back pressed tightly against the threshold, her fingernails unconsciously scratching at the wooden door, producing a faint yet grating creak.
Outside the door, the waiters still stood silently, but the muscles in their faces began to twitch slightly and unnaturally. Their eyes were no longer empty, but rather revealed a kind of anxiety, or even... anger.
Yes, it's anger.
They stopped looking at the meat and instead fixed their gazes on the proprietress's pale face, silently exerting pressure.
"It seems the proprietress doesn't think much of her own signature dish."
Fu Qinghuai spoke slowly and deliberately, then flicked his wrist as if to throw the sliced meat back into the pot.
"Don't!"
A sharp, piercing voice rang out, yet it still came from the landlady.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young girl at the front of the group of waitresses at the door. She seemed to have suddenly lost control, took half a step forward, and raised her arm slightly.
His eyes, however, were strange, filled with a twisted longing and fear.
She stared intently at the piece of flesh, her chest heaving violently.
The proprietress suddenly turned her head and glared at the girl with an extremely fierce look.
Instantly, the girl seemed to be choked, shrinking back, lowering her head again, and reverting to a puppet-like posture, though her body was still trembling slightly.
This bizarre interaction brought the atmosphere in the private room to a freezing point.
The proprietress took a deep breath, seemingly trying to force a smile again, but the curve was uglier than a grimace.
She deliberately avoided Fu Qinghuai's chopsticks, her voice dry and strained.
"Dear customers... please enjoy your meal. I have some things to attend to in the kitchen, so I'll have to go now."
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